So I agreed to work with him under the condition that he kept his mouth shut about my ability and that it got me a nice paycheck for that initial time.
When Lochlainn gave me his grandmother’s bracelet, I was able to draw in her soul long enough for him to ask a few questions. Like a fuzzy, long-distance phone call, she answeredwith a single word—a name. Probably another relative who was still holding onto the heirloom.
The job was easy peasy. And, at the time, he seemed genuinely grateful for my help. But I could already sense where the next task was going to be for me tonight . . . to a decapitated body.
“We should look for tracks where he was found. Maybe your men can get a scent of something.” Pogue said sternly.
Finley and Keeffe shared a look, then turned back to Lochlainn.
A scent? As in like . . .sniff, sniff?
Tweed lapels straighten, Lochlainn sitting up. He fixed himself cheerily, which was totally at odds with the current situation.
“I have an even better plan. We’ll ask Quinley ourselves!”
Everyone was dumbfounded. Outside of entertaining the idea that Lochlainn had lost his fucking mind, they were obviously curious how he planned on making a decapitated man talk.
Then—his eyes pinned me in place.
No.Fuck. No, no, no.
“Thisis where Carwynn comes in.” He nonchalantly gestured to me, as if he didn’t just shatter the promise to keep his mouth shut.
An eerie quiet swept over the room. Slowly, every head turned in my direction. Faces plastered with confusion, then shock. Their eyes glued to me like I was some rare creature thought to have been extinct.
I could feel the sharp heat of panic rising, as if I were about to shatter into a hundred shards of glass. I wanted to punch Lochlainn so hard he’d be able to use his teeth as chips in a game.
Outside of my roommates, only Lochlainn knew I was a Soulsayer—the rare Hallow Land gift to speak with the dead.
But now he outed me to the entire room. And not only that, it’d take them a whole three seconds to piece together exactly where I was born.
I was supposed to be flying under the radar, keeping my ability, my birthplace, andespeciallymy mother’s identity under wraps.
How could he ambush me like this? What happened to him being a man of his word?
Blue eyes locked on to me, handsome face included. Pogue gaped, as if he’d only just noticed me for the first time. The strange look that flickered across his face sent a jolt up my spine. Were those shadowed features shock? Concern? The hell if I knew.
“Ya serious?” someone shot out.
“Luck be damned!”
It felt like a red-hot spotlight was slowly scorching my skin, self-consciousness blistering at the surface. Too much attention, too many eyes.
How. Could. He. Do. This?
My lungs went into a frenzy of contractions, stealing my air.
He had no idea what he just did! IfwhatandwhoI was became public knowledge and spread, the Skell King would find out that the girl he’d killed all those years ago was still, in fact, alive.
Target, meet my back—my back, meet a new target.
Maybe he wouldn’t care enough to do anything?
Or maybe he holds eternal wrath for my mother and would come finish what he started…
Or maybe—maybe I’m a complete idiot who should’ve listened to David.
A throb pounded in my temples.
